Hedi Slimane sure is shaking things up at Celine. Since becoming Artistic, Creative and Image Director in January 2018 he’s revamped the brand’s logo, removed the much beloved e with an accentand replaced the brand’s traditional minimal aesthetic so well curated by previous Creative Director Phoebe Philo with his own preoccupation with rock & roll glamour. It is latest decision that is making the biggest waves though. This week the brand took to Instagram to announce that their new campaign star is none other than 18-year-old TikTok star Noen Eubanks.
Even if you don’t have TikTok downloaded on to your phone, or even know what TikTok is, you’ve surely watched and chuckled over one of the video app’s offerings. The viral lip-sync app has rapidly become a Gen Z favourite and has been downloaded a whopping 1.5 billion times to date, outperforming Instagram and Facebook. It’s not only known for laconic, tongue-in-cheek videos, it’s also home to a very Internet form of humour, spawning its very own set of in-jokes and memes (the likes of which you’ll inevitably see regurgitated weeks later on Twitter). It’s also now home to it’s very own set of TikTok stars, spawning a new generation of social media celebrities known as eboys and egirls.
Eubanks is most certainly a clear example of an eboy; his unabashed feminine, emo style, ever rotating hair colours and daily lip-sync TikToks have made him a Gen Z heartthrob. It certainly is a clever marketing choice. Currently, Eubanks has 7.6 million followers and has received 166.9 million likes on the app, and according to Google's Year in Search, ‘Eboy’ and ‘Egirl’ style were two of the most searched fashion terms in 2019.
The move is the latest in a spate of designers’ attempts to stay relevant amongst younger shoppers. Just consider Prada’s use of computer-generated Instagram Influencer Lil Miquelaat Milan Fashion Week in February 2018 and Gucci’s dip into the world of memes for its #TFWGucci campaign.
It certainly is an interesting choice. TikTok is built around the imperfect – the silly, out of kilter and mundane activities we all relate to. We are excited to see how Eubanks and the slightly messy Internet world he represents fits into Celine’s carefully curated universe. It could prove the natural progression as the luxury market attempts to keep up with a quick moving, digitally native generation.
Read More: